Sign



F. A. AUSTIN June 29, 1937.

SIGN

Filed Dec. 14, 1936 awe/whom F. Arnold Ausrin Patented June 29, 1937 attain Application December 14, 1936, Serial No. 115,750

5 Claims.

My invention relatesto signs and more particularly to road signs which are mounted at the sides of roads and highways to carry advertising matter or other indicia.

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a sign which resists the destructive effects of the elements as well as the even more destructive effects of mischievous boys and vandals.

Another object of my invention is the provision of bracing of novel form for resisting torsional wind strains due to irregular and gusty winds.

Another of my objects is the provision of a sign having panels with securing means which are very effective to discourage unauthorized removal but which are readily releasable without injury to the sign when it becomes necessary or desirable to remove a panel for changing or overhauling.

Having in view these objects and others which will be pointed out in the following description, I will now refer to the drawing, in which Figure l is a view in front elevation of my sign, sign frame and sign post.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view-in front perspective showing the relationships between the sign rim, sign post and the bracing system.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure l.

The rim ID of the sign is shown as being circular but it will be obvious from a reading of the following description that the rim may be in the form of any desired closed curve or polygon. The rim is rolled with an inner peripheral groove I I and an outer peripheral ridge [2, both the groove and the ridge having important functions in my sign when the various parts are in their assembled relation.

Supported in the rim I6 is the sign panel i3 having substantially the size and form of the rim ing is not great enough for closing the mouth of the post, an opening being left of suflicient width for seating the rim I!) with its ridge I2 in the opening at the top of the post M. The post and the rim are then welded together at their point of contact.

The sign panel l3 and the rim l0 being entirely above the post M, the Weld alone is insufficient for resisting wind and other stresses and it is therefore necessary to apply an effective system of bracing between the rim and the post. This I accomplish by the use of hairpin braces 15 with the loops of the braces welded to the post at points intermediate the ends of the post and with the opposite end portions of the braces welded to the rim H1 at spaced apart points. The lower portions of the braces are therefore vertical for providing a large contact surface between the brace and the post but the braces diverge upwardly and outwardly from the welded portions thereof. These braces may be tangential to the rim or they may be formed into the shape of the rim at the points of contact. In either case the hairpin braces l5 straddle the ridge l2 and are welded thereto.

For further resisting torque and other stresses I provide a cross brace 16 which is driven through an aperture in the post I 4 with its end portions positioned between the parallel parts of both of the hairpin braces iii. The cross brace i6 is welded to the braces l5 at all points of contact and it may be welded to the post it. The brace i6 may or may not extend beyond the points of contact with the braces is, depending on local conditions. If the signs are to be placed where cattle are roaming, the protruding ends of the brace it are very effective in discouraging the cows from using the signs as scratching posts.

The panel l3 alone may carry the advertisement but the use of a supplemental panel ll will extend the range of usefulness of the sign. This is especially true of signs which are designed to support reflecting buttons l8. Such buttons are secured through a panel and in order to avoid disfiguring the rear surface of the panel a supplemental panel H is secured in spaced apart relation to the panel l3. By this arrangement the rear surface of the supplemental panel is concealed and theft of the buttons is discouraged. The arrangement also makes it possible to provide buttons on both faces of the sign in either of two ways. Two supplemental panels it may be secured to the main panel [3 on opposite sides thereof. Another method is shown in Figure 3 in which buttons [8 are secured to both the main panel and the supplemental panel with the securing means for the buttons positioned in the space between the two panels where they are relatively inaccessible. In either case the reflecting buttons are illuminated by the oncoming traffic from both directions.

One of the serious problems in the use of reflecting road signs is the problem of preventing theft of the reflecting buttons. These buttons are designed to be anchored through apertures in the sign panel with the securing means positioned against the rear side of the panel. By the use of a supplemental panel, the removal of the buttons necessitates the removal of the supplemental panels in order to gain access to the securing means of the buttons. By firmly securing the supplemental panel to the main panel the buttons would be relatively safe from theft but the problem is complicated by the fact that the panels must occasionally be disassembled for painting, repairs or rearrangement of assembly. Also, the supplemental panel must be removable without danger of marring either of the panels.

The securing means which I employ are effective as securing means but what is even more important, they give the impression of great security. At the same time, the supplemental panel is readily removable for repairs. In my con struction, rivets i 9 pass through registering apertures in the two panels and through a steel burr 2i] and through a pair of fiber washers 2|. The fiber washers are sufficiently elastic for maintaining firm contact under all variations in temperature but when it is desired to remove the supplemental panel it is only necessary to apply a bolt cutter to the fiber washers 2! for first crushing the washers and then cutting the rivets l9 without danger of marring any part of the sign.

Having thus described my invention in such full, clear and exact terms that its construction and utility will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to: which it pertains, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A sign including a sign post and a rim, said rim having a ridge on its outer periphery and said post being provided at its upper extremity with an opening for receiving and seating said ridge, said rim and said post being welded together, a pair of hairpin braces secured at their lower extremities to said post below the upper extremity thereof, the upper end portions of said hairpin braces straddling said ridge and being secured thereto.

2. A sign including a sign post and a rim secured thereto at the upper extremity thereof, a pair of diverging braces lying in the projected plane of said rim and having the lower end portions secured to said post intermediate the extremities thereof and having the upper end portions secured to said rim, and a cross brace secured to and passing through both of the first said braces and said post.

3. A sign including a sign post and a rim interfitting in the upper extremity of said post and secured thereto, a pair of hairpin braces each secured to said post at points below the upper extremity thereof and diverging therefrom to spaced apart points on said rim, said hairpin braces and said rim being secured together at the points of contact thereof, a cross brace passing through said post and said hairpin braces and secured thereto at the points of intersection of said cross brace and said hairpin braces.

4. A sign including a sign post and a rim interfitting in said post at the upper extremity thereof, a brace in the form of an inverted A with the vertex of said brace secured to said post and with the upper extremities thereof secured to said rim at spaced apart points, the cross bar of said inverted A shaped brace intersecting and secured to the sides of said brace and also intersecting and secured to said post at a point intermediate the apex of said brace and the upper extremity of said post.

5. A sign including a sign post and a rim at the upper extremity thereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, said rim having an inner peripheral groove and a corresponding external ridge, a sign panel seated at its edges in the groove of said rim, a pair of braces secured to said post and projecting upwardly and away therefrom and having their upper end portions secured to said rim at spaced apart points adjacent the ridge thereof and in close contiguity therewith, and a cross brace intersecting and secured to said post and to said first named braces.

FULLER ARNOLD AUSTIN. 

